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Whiskey Rebellion
Whiskey Rebellion Walker Jones Rough Draft November 18, 2013 How did the Whiskey Rebellion start? The Whiskey Rebellion defied the laws of order due to the unfair tax and control over the poor farmers who relied on the production of whiskey and rye. It all started when we gained our independence in 1783 from Great Britain. The Revolutionary War generated a national debt that needed to get paid off. Like every war in America’s history, we have managed to create debt in every war. So what is a good solution to paying off debt? Alexander Hamilton believed that raising taxes would help pay off the war debt. However, not only did he believe raising taxes would help, he also believed that a large central government would be the best suit for the United States. So raising taxes would give the government control on commerce, production, and anything they really wanted. The whiskey tax was just one of many taxes that angered the people of America. Hamilton wanted to raise tax on Whiskey because farmers had realized that they could produce whiskey from rye and corn and make quite the profit (Muller, Edward K.). This profitable process was an incredibly vulnerable time for farmers because farmers were just poor workers. The states that failed to pay off their debt were mainly the northern states. Hamilton’s plan was to re-make all of the states pay for the debt even the ones that already did pay. So having to repay debt and dealing with raised taxes, the farmers that produced corn and rye were most targeted because there was no tax, and too much money being made off of corn. The rebellion did not happen until 1794, just three years after the tax was set in place. Our previous document, the Articles of Confederation, would not allow the government to levy taxes so all we could do for the war was borrow money that generated $54,000,000 of debt. (Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia) What was happening in the 1790’s before the Rebellion? In 1790, the Democratic - Republican Party was established. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison created the Democratic Republican Party which was pretty much a new term for the anti-Federalists. This party favored the farmers, shopkeepers, and southern planters (Larry Gragg). In 1791, the tax on the whiskey rebellion was established by congress. In 1792, Kentucky became a state but the country was still in debt. Finally, in 1793, nothing significant really happened. What was the Whiskey Rebellion? The Whiskey Rebellion was plain and simple. It was an uprising of Pennsylvanian farmers who were frustrated about the high tax on the production of whiskey. This was the government’s first chance to give themselves a strong title as leaders of the country. However, the United States had recently fought a war for their independence from unfair taxes, a government for the people and by the people, and a government that protects the people instead of run their lives. The Pennsylvanian farmers were attacking the people who came to collect their taxes so say that there was no chance they were about to give into the federal governments rule. The taxes weren’t just to pay off the war debt. The taxes were also meant to assert the federal government more power than necessary. The farmers were hard working, poor, and vulnerable for a government attack so that’s exactly what happened. One of the more significant attacks of the rebellion was when an organized group of around 500 men burnt one of the tax collectors house. This posed as a threat to George Washington so his solution was to round up nearly 13,000 soldiers to contain the rebellion. He needed some serious firepower because these armed farmers were fighting for what they believed in. The farmers lost, obviously. Many of the rebellious farmers were captured and two were tried of treason which means trying to overthrow the government physically and dangerously (dictionary.com). However, the people who were tried of treason were soon released. The people who favored the tax were the richer Federalists and the people who were against the tax consisted of the newly developed Democratic - Republican Party. (Andrew J. Milson and Marsha Alibrandi) Who was important to the cause? 1) George Washington was a man who favored the tax. In his, Proclamation of the Whiskey Rebellion, George Washington talks about his reaction to the Whiskey Rebellion. He says how he favors the tax and how he raised the army that fought and controlled the untamed rebels. It is quite an important passage because it helps describe who exactly who George Washington was. “And whereas, it is in my judgment necessary under the circumstances of the case to take measures for calling forth the militia in order to suppress the combinations aforesaid, and to cause the laws to be duly executed; and I have accordingly determined so to do, feeling the deepest regret for the occasion, but withal the most solemn conviction that the essential interests of the Union demand it” (Washington, George) 2) Alexander Hamilton was the leader of the tax on whiskey. At the time, he was the chief of staff to George Washington and treasury of state. Hamilton was a supporter of a centralized government and wanted more power to the government than it previously had. Hamilton thought that this tax on whiskey would benefit the government, country, and everyone in it. These two men were the ones that started the whole matter because they thought this tax was an easy solution. Thomas Jefferson believed the opposite though. He believed that one: the tax was unnecessary, two: centralized government was a bad thing, and three: that Hamilton was dangerous after using 13,000 troops to control a protest of fleeing farmers. 3) General John Neville became a victim of the 500 rebel raid. The organized group of 500 rebel farmers attacked and burnt the house of the military general. This specific raid worried Washington so this action made Washington raise his large army of 13,000 troops. 4) General Henry Lee was the man in charge of this 13,000 militia. 5) Thomas Jefferson and his republican party repealed the tax in 1801 because they saw the tax as a scam for government power. (Encyclopedia Britannica) What was so significant about the Whiskey Rebellion? At the time, the government was a new authority in the country. The rebellion sticks out because of the way we handled it. The primary action that makes the rebellion stick out was Washington’s reaction to the violence. Not only was this the government’s first time using the military to control an internal problem, it was also the first and only time in history a president in office operated in the field. This posed as a threat to some of the American people because instead of wanting their government, they feared it. (Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia) What happened after the Whiskey Rebellion? The aftermath of the rebellion was really insignificant. Once George Washington had completed his second term, John Adams had taken over office. Like Washington, John Adams supported the Federalist Party and just recently served as the first vice president. No one really tried to rebel because everyone knew about the military might that Washington could enforce upon them. The rebellion struck fear and delivered order throughout the country. What did the Rebellion look like? The picture above portrays General George Washington ordering his 13,000 troops to control the problem in Western Pennsylvania. On the smaller horse below him to his left, General Henry Lee watches as his commander in chief does his job. This picture also shows General Washington ordering his men. Seven Sources 1) "Whiskey Rebellion." Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. Grolier Online, 2013. Web. 25 Oct. 2013. 2) Saveth, Edward N. "Whiskey Rebellion." Encyclopedia Americana. Grolier Online, 2013. Web. 25 Oct. 2013. 3) Muller, Edward K. "Whiskey Rebellion." World Book Advanced. World Book, 2013. Web. 25 Oct. 2013. 4) Washington, George. "Proclamation On The Whiskey Rebellion." Proclamation On The Whiskey Rebellion (2009): 1. Academic Search Elite. Web. 31 Oct. 2013. (PRIMARY) 5) "Whiskey Rebellion." (n.d.): Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia. Web. 31 Oct. 2013. 6) "Whiskey Rebellion." Britannica School. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2013. Web. 31 Oct. 2013. 7) Andrew J. Milson and Marsha Alibrandi, eds.. Digital Geography: Geospatial Technologies in the Social Studies Classroom (Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing,